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Finally riding a big boys bike

Picked up this 1939 Men's Sports Tourist. It has to be my coolest bike now. It has a Phillips Superior rear hub, looks double-sided. The saddle has 1939 stamped into the metal on the underside rear. Torrington model 7 pedals. 21" frame. Not too bad of condition considering it's age. The repaint isn't too bad except for that the headbadge is missing. Not familiar with these so what do you think looks original, and what's not.

Look Ma, No Hands!

It is a Person's Saddle, made in Worcester MA. The stamp on the side, sadly not preserved, is an elaborate design with two lions supporting a shield. There was probably a stamped badge on the back at one point, rather fragile openwork spelling out the word PERSONS. Some little bits of it are sometimes preserved, like part of the S.

The nose hardware is very similar to Brooks, but the cantle plate is a different shape, and the way the rails is attached is also pretty different. If we want to be pedantic about it, there are only two wires.

Thanks, Juvela, for alerting me to this. I rarely check in with The Cabe, I know, I know. --Rudi

Finally riding a big boys bike

It is a Person's Saddle, made in Worcester MA. The stamp on the side, sadly not preserved, is an elaborate design with two lions supporting a shield. There was probably a stamped badge on the back at one point, rather fragile openwork spelling out the word PERSONS. Some little bits of it are sometimes preserved, like part of the S.

The nose hardware is very similar to Brooks, but the cantle plate is a different shape, and the way the rails is attached is also pretty different. If we want to be pedantic about it, there are only two wires.

Thanks, Juvela, for alerting me to this. I rarely check in with The Cabe, I know, I know. --Rudi

Cruisin' on my Bluebird

What I like about this bike is that it's an American-made lightweight/utility type bike set up for extra performance. Somebody was serious about getting a bit more performance out of this bike back in the day, which would have been quite rare at that time. The three-speed set up and the Philco type add-on brakes are great to have, and were well-constructed. The Phillips flip-flop hub is really cool, and another well-made item. Even when bikes were being used for utility purposes during the second war, most were set up for very basic performance - a single speed with a coaster brake or similar. Sometimes you see a Sturmey AW from right before the war being used, which is a nice touch. On this particular bike, someone really put in the extra money for something with a little more "go" behind it. There aren't too many like this around, in large part because there weren't too many like this around back then.

Finally riding a big boys bike

What I like about this bike is that it's an American-made lightweight/utility type bike set up for extra performance. Somebody was serious about getting a bit more performance out of this bike back in the day, which would have been quite rare at that time. The three-speed set up and the Philco type add-on brakes are great to have, and were well-constructed. The Phillips flip-flop hub is really cool, and another well-made item. Even when bikes were being used for utility purposes during the second war, most were set up for very basic performance - a single speed with a coaster brake or similar. Sometimes you see a Sturmey AW from right before the war being used, which is a nice touch. On this particular bike, someone really put in the extra money for something with a little more "go" behind it. There aren't too many like this around, in large part because there weren't too many like this around back then.

Look Ma, No Hands!

This is what a well preserved Persons saddle looks like (not mine; photo from the web):

I have one in reasonably good condition, and two or three that need new leather. I've been working on reproducing the stamp, but (as you can see from the photo above) the stamp involves some complicated artwork.

Finally riding a big boys bike

I have one in reasonably good condition, and two or three that need new leather. I've been working on reproducing the stamp, but (as you can see from the photo above) the stamp involves some complicated artwork.